Armed clashes between the parties to the conflict in Sudan - the army and rapid support forces (special forces) - resumed on Friday in the western part of the country, the Darfur region, AlHadath TV reported.
According to it, clashes using mostly light weapons are taking place in some parts of the region. The main special forces units were concentrated in Darfur until recently, and many of them have been deployed to the capital, Khartoum, since the fighting began. In Darfur, both sides accuse each other of inflaming tensions and trying to draw local tribal self-defense groups into the conflict and inciting armed clashes between certain clans in the region.
Against this background, the American embassy in Sudan issued a special statement indicating that the initiators of the announced humanitarian truce - the US and Saudi Arabia - "have noted improvements in observing the ceasefire by the parties to the conflict." It states that "conditions necessary to restore communications and begin repair works in the housing and utilities system" were prepared. The statement said that humanitarian organizations "were able to deliver necessary medicines to several hospitals in Khartoum."
Earlier, the army and special forces had already made several mutual accusations of truce violations, citing examples of attacks on each side's units, mainly on the outskirts of Khartoum.
A seven-day humanitarian truce in Sudan went into effect Monday night. It was sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the US, which promised to set up an international cease-fire monitoring group and monitor possible violations with the help of orbiting satellites.
The situation in Sudan has been exacerbated by disagreements between Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also leads the Sovereignty Council, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the rapid support force. The main contradictions between the two structures relate to questions about the timing and methods of forming a unified Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as who should be the commander-in-chief of the army: a professional military, as advocated by al-Burhan, or an elected civilian president, as insisted on by Dagalo. On April 15, clashes broke out between the two entities near the military base in the city of Merowe, as well as in Khartoum. More than 860 civilians have been killed since the fighting began, according to the Sudan Doctors Union.
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Photo: New Zealand Defence Force/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS